Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1887-04-02
EDUCATING YOUNG INDIANS.
The Work Being Done In the school,
at Yuma.


The very marked improvements the
Indian training-school at Old Fort 1u-
ma. across the river. since 1t came un-
der the management of the Sisters OF
Charity, j. certainly gratifying 10 the
Indian department and 10 the friends
of the indians generally, says The Yuma
Sentinel
The Yumas. luckily a small tribe.
are among the very poorest and most
ignorant of all the Ind ans. and to mako
an, intellectual IMPRESSION upon them
would seer, almost hopeless task.
Yet the last eight or nine months un-
der the ; sters' careful treatment the
children, wholly IN their keeping. have
made considerable progress IN tneit
books and a marvellous change tneh
personal appearance and habits or llle.
They are now well-dressed. Neat.
clean. and cheerful set of young lnHI-
ans. whereas before they came to the
school they were roaming around III
squalid poverty and nakedness.
The verv competent. energetic. and
efficient superintendent. Col. l. Z. Ri-
lev. paid V sit of inspection TO this
interesting school last Monday de
rave the children. through the sssis-
tancc of an interpreter, long. practl'
cal. and sensible talk. which seemed to
be thoroughly understood by his young
aud tors. and was certainly apprecia-
ted by Base aal. the venerable chief or
the tribe, VINO, being present, arose as
the conclusion OF Col. Z iey's remarks
. l. IN
1 press. author tatIveiy, the advice and
! instruct on they had just received.
/ The primary object OF all Indian
/ schools being 70 teach the young 10
| speak the English language, 1T the close
/ OF the old chiefs remarks Col. Il lev
/ gave a few illustrations of teaching the
! structure of sentences by combination
/ of objects in way the children thor.
/ ouchly under.tood. which had the hap
DIV result of showing them they could
soon speak the English language with
little effort lie then offered first
and second prize to be gwen at the
close of the Sess on 10 the two pupils.
bows or gris. who could at that time
speak the most English. provided their
department and habits met the APPROX
al of their teachers. The offer, we are
informed. has created considerable en-
ulation. and several are striving to be
| successful.
After the school lecture Col. Riley
had long and interesting conferences
with Pasqual, the old ch ef, aud devel-
oped manv interesting facts concern
ing the relations of the Yumas to the
whites, their customs and habits Of life.
etc.
Although there are over seventy chill.
dren in school, Col. Riley asked Pas
qual why the others-about one hun
dred-r rema ned away. He replied
that there were four causes that moro
or less entered into the answer TO that
question. In the nrst place many ut
the parents and grand parents of the
children were poor and feeble. The
government gave them no assistance
and the children had to contribute
their labor to their support. and that
many were desirous to come, but on
that account could not. In the second
place, many parents feared that this
school was but a preliminary step to
having the children finally removed to
some other school in the east. Thirdly.
that when the question was successful
" solved that their children could be
taught TO read and write English. add
figures. etc. he then would bc willing
for them to cut their hair. and adopt
the customs and habits of civilized life.
but not until then. IL he lived to see
the present experiment q success he
would cheerfully~embrace it, and so
woad his tribe. In the fourth place
he would not ask the government for
assistance. but would gratefully accept
what it might give in charity to his old
and helpless people. When that was
. done all the children should come. il he
; had influence TO secure such a result.
, Being assured by Col. Riley that the
, children would never be sent from here
, only at the own election, and that ne
, would endeaver to remove all other OBJ
. sGacles. the meeting broke up with as
| surance that both parties would work
! for the success of the luna school